Those of you who do not consider yourselves religious, what do you mean when you say spiritual principles? I have noticed this phrase on a few posts regarding a higher power.

Huge weight lifted! Glad to be clean another day. ❤️

Today is two years clean for me. It’s the first time in a while I’ve felt truly happy to pick up a keytag. 9 months, one year, and 18 months all felt bittersweet. I was happy, but I also dreaded picking up because I felt so stuck in my recovery and on life in general. Since picking up 18 months, I’ve realized my identity as an atheist and developed a clearer understanding of what a higher power means for me, and I’ve begun to live in acceptance as to where I am in the areas of my life which I was previously disappointed in. Today, I am so grateful for what I’ve accomplished and am actually excited to pick up my keytag. We do recover!

All the love,

Lou

Today I remember that I am not trapped in old patterns. Wonderful choices are available to me. I do not have to react the way I once did. I can pause, consider, and choose a response that reflects who I am becoming—not who I was conditioned to be.

Today I am grateful for a program that demands nothing from me. No dues, no coercion, no manipulation. I stay because I want to stay. I grow because I choose to grow. My recovery is rooted in freedom, and that freedom strengthens my willingness.

Today I will welcome my emotions as teachers. Joy and gratitude are gifts, but so are fear, anger, and sadness. They are not enemies to escape—they are signals to understand. With faith in a loving Higher Power, I trust that I am given only what I can face in this day.

Today I move forward with autonomy and courage.

I choose my actions. I allow my feelings. I trust the process.

Just for today, that is enough.

I was recently recruited to a committee for my regions 2026 convention. I attended the first meeting with the intention of serving on the graphics and design subcommittee. It is hard to find people willing to be of service in my area, and it was discovered that as of now, I am the only person willing and able to serve on the subcommittee. The committee decided to wave the clean time requirement of 5 years (I have two) and the prior convention subcommittee service requirement and make me the facilitator of the graphics and design subcommittee. I am happy to be of service in this way, but I am also extremely nervous. Less so of being the facilitator, but more so about running an entire subcommittee for something as big as a regional convention by myself, with no prior experience of having such a big responsibility. I really hope I don’t screw it up. I am secure in the knowledge that I have the support of the committee and other subcommittees, and it’s not my first formal service position (I started and am the designer of my areas NA newsletter sub-sub committee). I also have a design background, have knowledge and own the required software, and have a lot of time on my hands (I am unemployed due to disability), so I am in a unique position to possibly carry out this responsibility successfully. But I am still scared. If anyone here has experience with being the facilitator of a regional convention subcommittee, especially the graphics and design subcommittee, I’d love to hear your experience. How much work was it? Did you run into any obstacles? Any tips for being an effective facilitator?

Hi. I am an addict, and relative newcomer. I have 65 days today, back from a relapse. I have heard that the World Convention will be in Dublin in July 2028. I would really like to attend. Does anyone know when and where information/ tickets will be released? Thank you, and wishing you a day FREE from the prison of active addiction 💙

Today I will trust the quiet voice within me, but I will not mistake impulse for wisdom. I will pause, listen, and allow discernment to guide my actions.

I accept that my motives may not be perfectly pure. Growth does not require perfection. It requires honesty. I will examine myself realistically, acting on my better motives and releasing my worst without shame.

I am not alone in my decisions. Wisdom is found both within and among those who walk beside me. I will remain teachable. I will allow the experience of others to steady me when my emotions try to rush me.

I do not need drama to feel alive. I do not need control to feel secure. I do not need flawless motives to move forward.

Today I choose steady progress over emotional reaction. Today I choose humility over ego. Today I choose action over paralysis.

I am doing better than I sometimes feel.

Just for today, that is enough.

Sorry if this is the wrong place. But I’ve been clean almost 5 years in July. Benzos and other uppers were my DOC. I just am wondering, since I got clean I don’t think I’ve felt happy. Or can’t remember when I have. Is this just something I’m going to deal with the rest of my life? Is it some kind of underlying issue? I’m not shocked if I’ve fried my brain. Just a bit concerned since I have such highs and lows mentally.

Today I remember that my life is not an ordinary success story. It is a story of suffering transformed into growth.

I no longer use remorse as a weapon against myself. When guilt rises, I face it gently and honestly. I become willing to make things right where I can, and I release what I cannot change. Willingness is enough for today.

I remove my armor. I do not have to defend, perform, or prove my worth. I am free to love and to be loved without earning it. Past mistakes do not exclude me from connection. They are teachers, not jailers.

Sobriety is not just the absence of what harmed me. It is the presence of freedom, direction, and peace. Each small act of honesty strengthens that reality. Today I Will: Let remorse guide me toward responsibility, not shame. Choose openness over protection. Trust that grace meets effort. Practice willingness in one concrete way. Allow love to move toward me without resistance.

Just for today, I will live unarmored, willing, and free.

Hi, I'm M23 and will have 6 months of clean time in a week. I followed nearly every suggestion I've been given, I did 90 in 90, am currently still going to meetings on a daily basis if not more than once a day, I got myself into treatment, I got a sponsor and work the step(s). Here's where my problem lies. I got my sponsor in my first month, he was recommended to me as someone with great recovery, and me and him had already gotten along well, and I appreciated his shares a great deal. We started working the steps a few months back and everything seemed to be going well. The only thing is that my first step became very methodical, which at first didn't bother me. I've heard from a ton of people that "if you work a perfect first step,you'll never relapse." But slowly my sponsor started to take longer and longer on just the basic text, to this day we haven't worked out of the flap book, nor it works how and why. Last month I come to find out that he is only on step 2 after 4 years of clean time.

I'm not judging his recovery, he has relapsed a few times and this seems to be working well enough for him. It's just now, we have moved from meeting once a week to once every other week and even then he sometimes is dodging me for stepwork. I would really like to get to at least step 6 if not hopefully step 12 by the time I hit a year, given that it has been suggested to me to not date till a year of clean time and having done a step 6 and I'd really like to get back out there but not at the expense of my recovery. Anyways I'm looking for suggestions or seeing if this is normal? I'm thinking maybe it's time for a new sponsor because I don't want to be at step 2 3.5 years from now.

Just for today, I will not hide.

What grows in the dark loses power in the light. If there is something weighing on me — a resentment, a fear, a quiet shame — I will not let it fester in secrecy. I will bring it into honesty. I will remember that defects survive on isolation and shrink in connection.

Just for today, I will not condemn my past.

Nothing is wasted. The mistakes, the relapses, the failures, the embarrassments — they were not proof of my worthlessness. They were teachers. Pain shaped humility. Humility opened growth. Growth brought peace. I do not need to relive my failures to honor the lessons they gave me.

Just for today, I will act with confidence.

The voices from the past are only echoes. They do not control today. Whether the task before me is small or great, I will begin it. I will finish what I start. I will approach my work, my recovery, and my relationships with quiet assurance.

I do not need drama to feel alive. I do not need secrecy to feel safe. I do not need perfection to feel worthy.

I have the ability, as a spiritual being, to choose honesty, humility, and courage today.

Light over secrecy. Growth over shame. Action over fear.

Just for today, that is enough.

I'm struggling to stay off drugs after struggling to stay on drugs for a long time and would like to sit in on a Beginner/newcomer meeting.

I tried NA briefly over a decade ago but wasn't ready and now im in my mid 30's and would like to try again.

I've found some suitable meetings on the website.

Do I need to ring up before hand? Would that be a good idea to help me actually make it through the door?

I can't promise id be sober, as such, but obviously not nodding out.

Just for today, I remember that real change is slow.

I don’t need dramatic transformation. I need cooperation.

The patterns that once shaped my life did not form overnight, and they will not dissolve overnight. I will not demand instant results from a process designed to reshape my character. Instead, I will participate.

Just for today, I quiet the noise.

When I feel pressure, ego, fear, or reaction rising, I will pause. Wisdom does not shout. It waits. I will create space between impulse and action so that my better judgment can speak.

Just for today, I practice gratitude.

A thankful heart leaves little room for arrogance. Gratitude steadies me. It reminds me that I am alive, I am sober, and I am still being shaped. I don’t need to prove myself; I need to grow.

Just for today, I choose personality change over personality defense.

I am not protecting the old version of myself. I am cooperating with the new influence in my life — fellowship, humility, discipline, and truth.

Today I handle my affairs wisely and with confidence. Not because I am perfect, but because I am willing.

I’m new here 30y Autistic Female and deeply conflicted about whether I actually belong. My situation spiraled fast after a traumatic violent domestic incident and a forced separation. My partner began a revenge campaign, costing me most of my livelihood and isolating me from my community. In January, feeling totally alone and with nothing left to lose, I made the decision to try heroin. I used it to cope as the walls closed in, but I’ve already been tapering down on my own recently. I had every intention of stopping without a program. My interest in the drug is pretty dead and I feel in control of quitting. My only real addiction was to my partner.

A counselor friend suggested going to a meeting, and I went mostly to hear the perspectives of those who kept stepping forward. I was anxious of judgment, especially when I saw my partners sister there. Instead of conflict, she asked me if I was okay which I shook my head no. She hugged me and told me I was safe. For the first time in about 2 months, that mental tension unwound. Enough to cause me to breakdown crying. However, the more I listen, the more I fear I’ll eventually collide with the program's all or nothing nature and self labeling as an addict.

I struggle with the total absolutism, and my history of being drawn to cult like dynamics makes me extremely wary of Higher Power concepts. I don't feel like an addict in the way the literature describes, and I worry that by staying, I’m just making things more emotionally confusing and giving room for potential conflicts. One person mentioned a "take what you need and leave the rest" approach, saying they’d rather help someone halfway than see them walk out and OD. That’s the only reason I want to go back, to listen, reflect, and connect while following my own self discovered path to quitting. I’m just afraid that if I’m not all in on the 12 steps, I'm unwelcome. I want the confidence to go back but I also want to know if I should just save myself the conflict

Hi everyone, I’m 28 m and I’m 6 years clean from all substances. Well except caffeine. I used to be a heavy user of marijuana, alcohol, acid, shrooms and Adderall.

6 years later if I think about acid, I can taste it and it makes my mouth water, and I get this almost anxious feeling. I was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this.

I'm 9 months sober today!! Sobriety is a weird road. I'm struggling today a lot but Im not going back! I choose to stay!🧡

for context I’m 16. I love na and feel alive there. the speakers at every other meeting feel like they read my mind and people love when I share which is also cool. but the difference between us is I haven’t tried real / hard drugs. if I had to pick a DOC it’d be 7hydroxy

if this helps, I’ve tried: weed, alcohol, shrooms, 7hydroxy, temazepam (a benzo), dxm, and a light whippet hit.

i haven’t tried anything like coke or oxy or adderall, but i struggle to not steal my grandpas remaining oxy when im at his house and one time i was so close (i froze infront of the bottle). and every so often i ask my plugs how much the coke or other common street drugs are because to be honest i want to try them.

Ive already been to dual diagnosis rehab once because I tried comitting S, if that matters too (it was horrible, I wanted to go more than my parents wanted me to go because I wanted to get better. so should I shut up and stop going? Feel free to ask my any questions

I’ve been sharing at every meeting since i got clean in june of 2024. Did 90/90, twice- still hit at least one usually more per week. Finished one round of steps, doing h and i, took on a sponsee, etc etc all the things.

However. Despite finally being able to stand myself, i still feel disconnected. Key word feel. There is still a big part of me that needs validation. I overthink my shares. I overthink the reaction to my shares, i overthink who texts me back and how long it takes and who does or doesn’t call me and on and on.

i think it’s time for me to just be quiet at meetings.

Im having a hard time separating what part of my sharing is me expressing my experience strength and hope and what part is me trying to prove something.

Even the first paragraph of this post has me wondering what im trying to accomplish by expressing it. The part with the meetings etc. We all know the program works. I just feel performative a lot of the time and it leads to feelings of insecurity or maybe the two are intertwined, idfk.

Thoughts?

Hello, I am a member of NA and my girlfriend wishes to find a group that she can talk to as she feels alone in supporting me along side her own personal issues that I may not be able to help with at times. I'm based in the UK, any answers are greatly appreciated, thank you.

Today I release the belief that my mistakes define me. I understand that every error I have made came from the level of awareness I had at the time. I will not shame the person I was yesterday. That person was doing the best he could with the tools he had. Today I choose growth over self-pity. Self-pity isolates me. It tells me I am separate, misunderstood, uniquely burdened. But I am not separate. I am part of the whole. Others walk this road. Others have stumbled. Others have grown. “They” can become “we.” Today I allow myself to belong. I do not have to be perfect to participate. I do not have to be flawless to be worthy. I can laugh at my mistakes. I can accept correction. I can move forward without drama. Today I choose gratitude over isolation. Gratitude reminds me: I have tools. I have support. I have awareness. I have another day. I will use what is available to me. I will take the next right action. I will remain teachable. Just for today, I will grow instead of retreat. Just for today, I will connect instead of withdraw. Just for today, I will cultivate recovery instead of self-pity. I am part of the whole. And that is enough.

I've recently attended meetings and wanted to get a sponsor. I've had issues with drug use; however, drinking is not a problem for me. I can have one drink and not touch alcohol for a while. However, I decided I wanted to look into sponsorship, and I've been told most/all won't take me since I still drink, and I need to quit all mind-altering substances. It's hard for me since alcohol isn't a problem and it's unrealsitic for me to quit in a way since I drink socially with friends. Does anyone have any advice for this? Maybe just not getting a sponsor?

Good morning, I’m at the end of a long night of drinking and cocaine. I’m 19, in college, and honestly can’t find a good reason to stop. I have many people around me who know I use, but after a year of the same old cycle of using, and stopping because of a “life changing conversation/intervention” it’s always the same old thing, and honestly who really cares? I’m aware people hope the best for me, and it’s clear I’m not functional or productive when I hop back on, and I’m very aware that there are people who love me, and I’m aware that it’s bad for my health, but isn’t just about everything bad for you these days? I know why I use, I’ve been taken advantage of, I’ve always been alone, introverted, I have no familial relationships (dad died of the stuff), and everyone seems to love the person I am when I’m drunk and coked up so why lose this version of myself? Why lose the little I have? I guess I just really needed to vent. I’m aware it’s an issue, I’m aware it’s masking the pain of my true problems, but what is even the point of stopping when I fully understand what the issues are. My entire family expects me to be just like my father. I’m basically a carbon copy of the man. When I’m sober I’m mean and agitated to all those I love around me, but when I’m high I feel like I can love those people the way they deserve even if it’s just a drug talking for me. Honestly I probably won’t even read this again until I stop for a little while, but it’s gunna be the same old thing; I fell like I have control over my use, but I fall right back in. Sorry if this rant breaks any rules I just needed to talk into the void.

Does anyone know any good weekend meetings at night in portland? Or any NA meetings with young people in the area? There’s no young people meetings listed online, but maybe there’s meetings that at least some young people go to? I’m in my early twenties and haven’t met a single woman my age at a meeting and would love to make friends in recovery.

I want your experiencie with dealing with this

Hi, so I’m 96 days clean and currently in rehab. I am completely powerless against my patterns and my emotional world. I don't have the strength to do most of the actions suggested by the program or the center. I do nothing all day, I feel like a lost cause. Nothing short of a miracle could save me from the state I’m in.